Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy Projected as Top-10 NFL Draft Pick

ESPN mock draft has McCoy going 8th overall to the New Orleans Saints

Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:54pm

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A fractured, multi-perspective painting depicting a Tennessee football defensive play, with the players and field broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in a cubist style, conceptually representing the elite talent and potential of cornerback Jermod McCoy.A cubist interpretation of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy's standout 2024 season, as he is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.New Orleans Today

Tennessee football cornerback Jermod McCoy is projected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, according to an ESPN mock draft that tasked real NFL scouts to make selections. McCoy, who missed the 2025 season due to an ACL injury, is considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the class thanks to his standout 2024 campaign.

Why it matters

McCoy's potential top-10 draft position highlights the continued strength of the Tennessee football program in producing elite NFL talent, especially in the defensive backfield. His high draft projection also validates the belief that he can fully recover from his knee injury and return to the dominant form he displayed in 2024.

The details

In the ESPN mock draft, an anonymous AFC South area scout projected McCoy to be selected 8th overall by the New Orleans Saints. The scout praised McCoy as a 'true blue-chip cornerback' and expressed confidence that he will return to his 2024 level of play, when he recorded 44 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 4 interceptions, including several highlight-reel plays. McCoy opted not to participate in drills at the NFL Scouting Combine but impressed scouts at Tennessee's Pro Day as he continued his recovery from the ACL injury that kept him out of the 2025 season.

  • In January 2025, McCoy suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
  • The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23-25.

The players

Jermod McCoy

A cornerback for the Tennessee Volunteers football team who is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ryan Williams

A quarterback for the University of Alabama who McCoy intercepted a pass against in 2024.

New Orleans Saints

An NFL team that is projected to select McCoy with the 8th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft according to the ESPN mock draft.

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What they’re saying

“Rarely do you find true blue-chip cornerbacks, and when one falls to you, it's an easy decision to take them off the board. So I'll take McCoy with the belief that his knee is good long term and that he'll be back to the player we saw in 2024, when he was the best cornerback in the nation.”

— Anonymous AFC South area scout

What’s next

McCoy will look to continue his recovery from the ACL injury and impress NFL teams during Tennessee's Pro Day ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The takeaway

Jermod McCoy's projected top-10 draft position highlights the continued pipeline of elite defensive talent coming out of the Tennessee football program. If he can return to his 2024 form after recovering from the knee injury, McCoy has the potential to be a game-changing cornerback at the next level.